Our culture continues to tell us that we are “better off dead than disabled” through movies like “Me Before You” and real-life stories of families allowing disabled children to commit suicide. But we have heroes in our community, wheelchair users and others who publicly resist that message to assert — and prove — that life with a disability is worth living. We are proud to name these Resisters our People of the Year.

TRENDING NOW

Before you write off this blog as inspirational fluff, consider that its author, Jon Morrow, shares the same fear many of us have: being forced into a nursing home. His high level of disability makes this fear realistic — and motivating. So how exactly did he go from Medicaid beneficiary to successful entrepreneur? Read all about it here.

PRO TIPS

“Gimp MacGyver” and C5 quad Brian Johnston operates with a “there must be a way” mentality — an elegant way to shut doors, a clean way to operate spray cans, a cheap way to add power assist to a chair. And he’s not the only one — wait ’til you see what Dave Kott, C5-6, has designed to make his life easier and reinvent his profession.

The skin on our feet becomes more fragile as we age with a spinal cord injury. To improve your odds of avoiding pressure sores and infections that may require amputation of toes or feet, follow these rules.